Consider “Othello” as a domestic tragedy

Answer

 Consider “Othello” as a domestic tragedy.

“Othello” (1622) is the best example of a domestic tragedy written by William Shakespeare (1564-1616). It deals with the personal life of Othello and his wife Desdemona. A domestic tragedy is a kind of tragedy that describes the private life of ordinary people. In other words, it is a tragedy that focuses on the dramatic stories of middle and lower-class people concerned with everyday problems, including poverty, relationships, crime, intrigues and sickness. This type of tragedy was very popular in the days of Shakespeare.

Features of Domestic Tragedy: To describe “Othello” as a domestic tragedy, we need to know the features of domestic tragedy. There are sundry characteristic features of a domestic tragedy such as the ordinary work of life, Presentation of domestic problems, unhappy marriage, protagonist belonging to a lower or middle-class family, conspiracy or intrigues, foreign setting, superstitious belief, common language, intimate relationship, etc.

The Protagonist belongs to a Lower or Middle-class Family: In a domestic tragedy, the Protagonist belongs to a lower or middle-class family. We know that Othello, the protagonist of the tragedy ‘Othello,” belongs to a lower-class family. He is a citizen of Morocco. He comes to Venice for his financial progress. By using his bravery and war skills, he was able to overcome the financial problem and became the army general of Venice. He has gained upper rank and mastership in the court of the Duke of Venice. He was also able to marry Desdemona, daughter of Brabantio, a senator of Venice. Since the protagonist of the tragedy belongs to a lower-middle-class family, in this respect, Othello is a domestic tragedy.

Presentation of the Ordinary Work of Life: Presentation of the ordinary work of life is one of the prime issues of a domestic tragedy. In Othello, it is well described that every single character is busy with their everyday activities. It presents domestic problems like love affairs, court, marriage, conspiracy, conflict of human heart, professions, natural disasters, etc., which cause human suffering and death.

Marriage: Marriage is another important characteristic feature of a domestic tragedy. Othello’s marriage to Desdemona, a noblewoman, is central to the play. Despite their differences in social status, their love initially appears strong. Desdemona defends her choice to marry Othello by declaring, 

“That I did love the Moor to live with him, 

My downright violence and storm of fortunes 

May trumpet to the world.“

However, the strains of jealousy and manipulation ultimately lead to tragedy. It highlights the complexities of marital relationships.

Superstitious Belief: Superstitious belief is another element of a domestic tragedy. In the matter of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage, Brabantio, the father of Desdemona, charges against Othello in the court of the Duke of Venice.  Brabantio charges that, with the help of black magic, Othello convinces Desdemona of the marriage. Hearing the Brabantio, all senators of the court of the Duke of Venice believed it. However, Othello was able to prove that he did nothing to get Desdemona as his wife. Hearing Othello’s life story and adventurous events, Desdemona willingly proposes to marry, and Othello welcomes her proposal. Othello says,

“She loved me for the dangers I had passed,

And I loved her that she did pity them.”

Then Brabantio says,

“Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.”

Foreign Setting: Othello has a foreign setting as a domestic tragedy because it is an important part of this type of tragedy. The story of “Othello” is set in Venice and then turns to Cyprus, a multicultural city. So, the setting also proves that “Othello” is nothing but a domestic tragedy. Again, Othello’s foreignness as a Moor highlights themes of race and otherness. Venetians are white. But Othello is dark in colour. Othello’s outsider status is revealed when he says,

“Haply, for I am black.”

Conspiracy: As a domestic tragedy, Conspiracy is an inevitable part of “Othello.” The complex intrigue of villain Iago is a sharp witness of Othello as a domestic tragedy. Because of Iago’s conspiracy, we find the downfall of pure love between Othello and Desdemona. Iago plants seeds of doubt in Othello’s mind, stating, 

“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! 

It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock 

The meat…” 

Being the victim of a conspiracy, Othello killed his beloved wife, Desdemona and also killed himself. The downfall comes in our human society because of the Conspiracy. So, for the existence of conspiracies, “Othello” is a domestic tragedy.

Finally, it is clear like pure water that “Othello” is packed with characteristics of a domestic tragedy, which shows us all kinds of domestic problems. It also provides a message that everybody should properly investigate before reacting. we should listen carefully to all sides before taking any decision.